1861 England Census

Source Information

Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861. Data imaged from The National Archives, London, England. The National Archives gives no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU.

About 1861 England Census

This database will detail those persons enumerated in the 1861 Census of England and is an every-name
index. In addition, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to the actual images of the
1861 Census, reproduced by courtesy of The National Archives, London, England.

The 1861 Census for England was taken on the night of 7 April 1861. All responses were to reflect the
individual's status as of 7 April 1861 for all individuals who had spent the night in the house. People who
were traveling or living abroad were enumerated at the location where they spent the night on census night.

Information in this database:

Name of street, avenue, road, etc.

House name or number

Whether property vacant or inhabited

Surname of head of household

Name of persons who had spent the night in the household

Relationship of enumerated person to head of house

Person’s marital status

Age at last birthday (gender indicated by column in which age is recorded)

Person’s occupation

Person’s place of birth

Whether blind, deaf, or idiot

The English government took its first national census in 1801. A census has been taken every ten years since
that date except in 1941 though the first genealogically useful census was not taken until 1841, when names
were recorded. Enumeration forms were distributed to all households a couple of days before census night and
the completed forms were collected the next day. If the head of the house was illiterate or had any problems
completing the form the enumerator would assist as much as necessary. All of the details from the individual
forms were later sorted and copied into enumerators' books, which are the records we can view images of today.
The original householders’ schedules from 1841 to 1901 were destroyed.

Census returns were collected according to registration district. These returns were divided into sub-
districts and assigned consecutive piece numbers for reference purposes. The piece numbers begin in London with
number one and work roughly south to north, followed by the Welsh districts and then the Isle of Man and
Channel Islands. You will find the piece number on a paper strip at the bottom of every image, following the
PRO class number. There may be hundreds of pieces within a county.

In addition to the piece number, each page of the returns includes a folio number and/or a page number. The
folio number was stamped onto every other page before microfilming and is located in the upper right hand
corner of the image. Folio numbering usually starts over at the beginning of each piece. The page number is
part of the printed form and is found on every page in the upper right hand corner; they also start over at the
beginning of every enumeration district. A full reference number for a record in the 1861 census includes the
PRO class number (RG9), the piece number, the folio number, and the page number. Keep in mind that you may have
to look at several enumeration districts to find the page you want within a given folio since the page numbers
start over with every ED.

The clerks who compiled and reviewed the census data made a variety of marks on the returns. Unfortunately,
many of these tally marks were written over personal information and some fields, such as ages, can be
difficult to read as a result. More useful marks include a single slash between households within a building
and a double slash separating households in separate buildings.

Known problems with 1861 piece numbers:

Pieces from RG9 where all parishes are missing (we do not have ANY records for these pieces): 145, 219,
407, 601, 903, 1039, 1234, 3388, 4015, 4022, 4131, 4137, 4196, 4291, 4344, 4389

To identify which parishes or townships are included in a piece, please use The National Archives online
catalogue. Search the catalogue by entering the series code and the piece number, e.g. RG 9/217, in the box
in the upper left that says "Type reference here."

Alternatively, you can search the catalogue vice-versa (identify which piece number a particular parish or
township is part of) by putting a place name in the "Word or phrase" field and "RG 9" in
the "Department or Series code" field.

Some of the above information was taken from "Chapter 6: Census Returns," Ancestral Trails: The
Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History by Mark D. Herber (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical
Publishing Co., Inc, 1998) and Using Census Returns, Pocket Guides to Family History by David Annal (Richmond,
Surrey: Public Record Office, 2002).

Browse Individual Records in this Title

Related data collections

This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1851 Census for England. The census contains detailed information on each individual who spent the night in each household including name, relationship to the head of the family, marital status, age at last birthday, gender, occupation, and birthplace. Additional information about the dwelling and property was collected. Each name in this index is linked to actual images of the 1851 England Census.

This database is an index to individuals enumerated in the 1871 Census for England. The census contains detailed information on each individual who spent the night in each household including name, relationship to the head of the family, marital status, age at last birthday, gender, occupation, and birthplace. Additional information about the dwelling and property was collected. Each name in this index is linked to actual images of the 1871 England Census.All Census & Electoral Rolls in the Card Catalogue